Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Hotline: MTV hits Allston to cast "Real World"

As reported in my Hotline column... Next weekend – April 17 to be exact – MTV is hitting the mean streets of Allston Rock City to help cast the new season of “The Real World.” Among the usual rabble-rousers and drunks certain to make the reality show cut, producers already know what they want. According to the release below, MTV wants some Goths, emos, fatties, the handicapped, virgins, widows, broke graduates, punks, athletes and other assorted, uhhhhhh, people. You know, just like you and me. The real word!

The location of the show hasn’t been revealed, but since most of the types of people listed above can all be found walking up Brighton Avenue in Allston on any given Saturday afternoon (including this writer, so easy tiger), why not just buy a house on Linden Street and let them all shack up there? Maybe this is the plan.

Here’s the press release, which has all the important details Hotline needs not re-write:

Casting Directors from Bunim/Murray Productions, creators of the perennial hit MTV show “The Real World” will be holding an open casting call:

Applicants are asked to bring a recent picture of themselves (which will not be returned) and photo ID. Please be between the ages of 18 & 24 when you apply.

This season’s lucky roommates will get the opportunity of a lifetime when MTV hands over the keys to a new fantasy house for the show’s 25th season. “The Real World,” MTV’s longest running show, is a documentary series about a group of young people who spend five months living and working together.

So what does it take to get on the show?

“We look for characters from real life; people with strong personalities who are unafraid to speak their minds,” says Jonathan Murray, Executive Producer of “The Real World.”

It’s important to us that The Real World reflects the diversity of the general population.

This season we’d love to include a person who is:- physically challenged- an individual struggling with weight issues- someone who has been affected by a natural disaster- a cast member who is a product of home or alternative schooling- a follower of a non mainstream religion or belief system- an elite athlete- a recent graduate affected by the economic downturn- someone who is involved with goth, emo, or punk subculture- a member of a pro-abstinence organization- a young widow/widower- an individual who wants to bring the spotlight of “The Real World” to a cause, condition, or social issue they care deeply about or are personally affected by.

Please note, although these qualities may give applicants an advantage in the casting process, they ARE NOT a requirement. As always, The Real World welcomes anyone with a great personality and a willingness to share their life with the world.

For those who can’t make it to the open call, applications are still being accepted via email.Visit www.bunim-murray.com for complete details on how you can apply.